Eric Langenbacher - Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Professor: Eric Langenbacher

Department: Government

College: Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Class is bland but he's a good choice for it. Took my prosem w/ this prof & liked him more in that setting than a lecture. Class is Eurocentric which was fine for me (others hated). Grade depends on TAs who have crazy standards. Assigned readings are unnecessary (I didn't do a single 1) Prepare well for midterm and final and start the paper early.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: GOVT121CPS
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

This class is more like comparative European politics rather than CPS. So if you are interested in Europe, go ahead. If not, this could be a very dry and tasteless class. He had very cool concepts on modernity, which I liked, but at the same time I don't think spending several lectures on math makes much sense. I would give him a 3.5 if I can.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Assignments are midterm (in-class prepared essay), research paper, and final. He's a really dynamic lecturer and got a lot of interesting stuff to say about Germany, but the class is very Eurocentric and you'll hear about Germany pretty much every class. Start the paper early + write quickly for the midterm because the grading isn't easy.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: GOV040
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I absolutely loved Langenbacher, especially with his emphasis on electoral systems and the Master Narrative, a fairly cool concept. What others have said about his opinion-heaviness is true. Midterm and finals are silly (midterm: memorize an essay, final: math test), start the paper early. He also might let you help with research, which is great.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: INAF100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Langenbacher is certainly one of the most knowledgable professors I've ever had, and this in itself makes his class enjoyable. He is a fan of his own opinion though, so if two competing egos may pose problems for you, maybe steer clear. I would certainly recommend him, however, to someone interested in learning even beyond the class description

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Obnoxious and bland lecturer. Midterm is a hard in-class essay, but you get the prompt beforehand. Moderately difficult paper and final - calculation heavy but the math is the easy part. A lot of lecture and readings are irrelevant. There are easier and better choices for CPS, but it's fine if you like being graded on a few difficult assignments.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I took into to CPS with Langenbacher and it has proven to be one of the most challenging and unbearable classes I have had. He is a boring professor that occasionally and obnoxiously spouts his political opinions or obsession with Germany. Would strongly urge not taking him for CPS.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: GOVT121CPS
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I had Professor Langenbacher for Comparative Systems in 2003. I remember how animated he was all the time. I actually really enjoyed him as a professor. I still remember all the different parliamentary systems he taught. I took copious notes, which led to a high grade (I think I got an A).

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: INAF100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Langenbacher isn't the most engaging professor ever but his knowledge on the topic (History and memory) makes his lectures amazing. Expect 4 five-page papers and a 12-15 page take home final, and external research. One 30-minute oral presentation about a country is also required. 2 of these every class occupy the whole time of the lecture

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Langenbacher isn't a bad choice for CPS if you know what you're getting into . CPS isn't an easy class, so you have to choose the professor that fits the most with your work habits. If you like few assignments (midterm, long paper, and a final) and mathematical calculations, take him. If that's not your jam, I suggest choosing someone else.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Langenbacher is an decent choice for GOVT-040 CPS. His lectures are pretty informative and pretty much just summarizes the readings. Besides participation, there are three grades total. The midterm is vague and hard to prepare for. The country report is open ended and takes time . The final is on understanding calculations for democracies. Average

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Langenbacher's lectures are funny, but he goes through slides way too fast. He's the only CPS professor who teaches calculations and makes you memorize them for the final exam. You'll also have to do a 15 page country report linking levels of democracy with an issue there. Basically, you could get the requirement with a much easier professor.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: INAF100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I took Langenbacher's Proseminar on Politics&Memory. There is quite a bit of reading due every week, and there are weekly student presentations summarizing the readings. This can be get dull at times, but the topics are interesting and it means you don't have to read yourself. 4 5-page papers, one presentation and one take home final (12-15 pages).

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: INAF100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Eric is the best! Lectures are long but he is really funny and always finds a way to make things interesting. You can tell he really cares about this course. There is a lot of assigned readings but students make presentations summarizing the readings each week. This can get a bit dull, but helps if you don't have time to read everything.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: INAF099
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Eric was literally the best professor I had my first semester at Georgetown. He is such a great and funny guy. He knows his stuff and is so interested in learning more all the time. He's great to just sit back and have a conversation with. That's exactly what his class feels like. I can't wait to take his CPS class next fall!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: INAF100
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I had Eric for my proseminar politics and collective memory and it was my favorite class of the semester! Only 4 relatively short papers (5 pages) and we watch movies and it's a fun class! Eric bought us pizza once. He's so funny and SO knowledgable and you can tell he loves what he's teaching which just makes the class that much more enjoyable.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Langenbacher's lectures were kind of boring, especially the first half of the semester. Second half of the semester is equation-based, which is incredibly easy, and special topics lectures which are actually interesting. Tons of assigned readings, but I didn't do all of them. Very clear cut about assignments and test prompts.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: GOVT040
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He does a good job at making what seems like dry material relevant and interesting. I really like the subject so he made it enjoyable for me, but even if you're not interested in the subject he makes it worthwhile. You need to do the readings and pay attention in class and TA-led section, but putting in effort makes this class fairly easy.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CPS
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the most eloquent professors I've had. The topics can be a bit dry, but Professor Langenbacher makes them interesting. He goes over most of the material in class, so you don't need to do more than just skim over the assigned readings (though some are really thought-provoking). Your grade depends on your TA, so make sure to be on best terms.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CPS
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Langenbacher is the best kind of nerd. He's super knowledgable and knows everything about Germany. Lectures can be dry but you should go; slides are online but it really helps to be there. Your grade really depends on your TA (Binio 3) and the paper is rough. Langenbacher himself is great, not a bad option for CPS.